10 Food Trends we LOVE to HATE

Huffington Post's food page recently posed the question, "What is the food trend you wish would just go away???" I was thrilled to see this question asked because, although I am a food blogger, I really hate food trends. I've never been a trend follower (if you know me, you know that I have absolutely no fashion sense). I'm more of a "classic-is-best" kind of gal, and that is my outlook on cooking as well.

So I did my own unofficial poll of friends and blog readers: What food trends do YOU wish would go away? Here are the top ten responses I got. Keep in mind that I really like most of these foods. I just get annoyed when one thing is saturating menus from upscale down to Mickey D's. Admittedly, food bloggers like myself bear some of the responsibility here, for coming up with ever-more-unique (okay, "weird") ways of presenting said ingredient. So here goes:

1) Kale - Kale is great and super-healthy, but we really should draw the line somewhere here. Kale does not belong in every single dish you make. And just how many different ways can you make Kale chips?

2) Quinoa - Yeah, you know who you are. Putting Quinoa in cookies is just wrong. Enough said.

3) Pumpkin Everything - I should tell you that I adore pumpkin, and I can even go for it in some less-than-mainstream ways. But this is another place where a line must be drawn. Pumpkin is going in places it should never go and we must stop it before it takes over like Godzilla. Do we really need pumpkin M&Ms?!

4) Cupcake Shops - I have a whole post dedicated to this subject. I love cupcakes, but the trend of cupcake-only shops has really run its course. For some reason it is refusing to die a respectful death.

5)  Bacon, Bacon, Bacon - Even bacon lovers are getting tired of seeing candied bacon, chocolate-covered bacon, and bacon ice cream. The shock value has worn off, and the coolness factor will soon wear off as well.

6) Poke Cakes - This is another one of those trends that returns from time to time because it is easy and gives an interesting effect. I want to know who was the first baker who decided to poke holes in a perfectly good cake and pour Jello in there? We need to hold that person accountable.

7) Gluten-free - Before you get out the pitch forks, let me say that there ARE people who truly need to eat a gluten-free diet. Those people should be able to find options that fit their diet, I'm not making light of it. But let's also admit that there is a certain percentage of the gluten-free craze that is merely a fad. If I had celiac disease and truly needed to eat gluten-free, I would be annoyed with all these people co-opting my condition and making it just another food trend.

8) Vegan - Again, there are people who want or need to be vegan and have good reasons for it. Some of those people are among my friends and family. But this is another one that people like to "try on" because it is the in thing. True vegans probably have to roll their eyes many times a day at all the wanna-bes that surround them.

9) Flourless cakes and "molten" cakes. I'm probably the only person in the world that just doesn't go for these. I'm okay with that.

10) "Deconstructed" - I don't have a problem with the food, but I hate this term. If you are taking apart a classic recipe and presenting it in a new and bold way, why not come up with a new and bold name for it?